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Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (August 23, 1904 - February 13, 1965), born Maria Mercedes Morgan, was a Swiss-born American socialite best known as the wife of Reginald Vanderbilt and th...view moreGloria Morgan Vanderbilt (August 23, 1904 - February 13, 1965), born Maria Mercedes Morgan, was a Swiss-born American socialite best known as the wife of Reginald Vanderbilt and the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt. She was a central figure in Vanderbilt vs. Whitney, one of the most sensational American custody trials in the 20th century.
Her identical twin sister, Thelma Furness, Viscountess Furness (23 August 1904 - 29 January 1970), born Thelma Morgan, was a mistress of King Edward VIII while he was still the Prince of Wales, whilst she was married to a British nobleman, Marmaduke Furness, 1st Viscount Furness. The marriage ended the year before her relationship with the Prince ended.
Born at the Grand Hotel National in Lucerne, Switzerland to Henry Hays Morgan, Sr., an American diplomat, and his half-Chilean, half-Irish-American wife, Laura Delphine Kilpatrick, the Morgan sisters were educated by governesses and in convents in Europe and New York City, where they attended the Catholic Convent of the Sacred Heart, the Skerton Finishing School, and Miss Nightingale’s School. In October 1921, with their father’s permission, the sisters, reportedly 16 years of age, ended their schooling and moved by themselves into an apartment at 40 Fifth Avenue, a private townhouse. The sisters had some minor roles in silent movies, using the names Gloria and Thelma Rochelle. Their debuts were as extras in the 1922 Marion Davies vehicle The Young Diana. Known as “The Magnificent Morgans”, Gloria and Thelma Morgan were popular society fixtures, even as teenagers.
From the 1940s until their deaths, they lived together in New York City and in Los Angeles, California.
Mrs. Vanderbilt died in 1965 of cancer and was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Five years later, her sister Thelma died of a heart attack and was buried by her side.view less